Rachel Jones
EDC 102H
Personal Expertise Statement
Cooking is something that I enjoy doing and has always been able to make me feel relaxed and accomplished. I have only started cooking within the past two years, and thus, a little reluctant to call myself an “expert.” However, I believe that being an expert in something does not necessarily mean that you are the best, but rather, you have a passion for something and want to dedicate time and energy to becoming the best at it you can be. While I might not ever be a contender on “Top Chef,” I do have a passion and interest in being the best cook I can be.
I first became interested in cooking through spending time at my close friend’s house. Her mom, Lois, is always in the kitchen trying out new recipes and making meals for her family. One day when I was over their house, she made the best dinner I have ever had in my life. She made homemade pesto with fettuccini pasta and grilled chicken that was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Because I enjoyed this meal so much, Lois agreed to teach me how to make it. I thought that it was going to be very difficult for me to do since I never have cooked anything from scratch before, but I was surprised to learn that it was fairly easy and tasted amazing. After making my first real homemade meal under the guidance of Lois, I decided to try it on my own. I found simple recipes online and started experimenting with them. I started out making appetizers that didn’t require a lot of ingredients, like bruschetta, guacamole, hummus, and salsa. After I made these a few times, I started to tweak them a little bit and learned how to do this successfully. For example, I learned that I do not like as many tomatoes in my guacamole as most recipes call for, and that adding garlic and roasted red peppers to plain hummus recipes makes it a lot more flavorful. Next, I started to learn how to cook chicken and fish a few different ways, which was also surprisingly easy to master. I then started to make side dishes like black bean salad, Moroccan couscous, and mashed potatoes. As I practiced cooking different dishes, it became easier and very enjoyable.
Learning to cook is something that I have learned how to do through the process of trial and error. I have made a lot of mistakes while learning to cook, but like anything else, practice makes perfect. I have never taken a cooking class and besides Lois, no one has ever taught me how to cook. I have found recipe websites that have reviews to be extremely helpful and offer great suggestions. Input from friends and family that has tried my food is always useful as well. Cooking is something that I enjoy very much, and plan on developing an expertise in throughout the rest of my life. I believe that if you are passionate about something, learning how to do it is fun and very rewarding. I am glad that I have recently discovered that I am capable of cooking different things, because it is therapeutic for me. Though I have no awards or honors to show for my ability to cook, I still consider myself to have an expertise in cooking.
EDC 102H
Personal Expertise Statement
Cooking is something that I enjoy doing and has always been able to make me feel relaxed and accomplished. I have only started cooking within the past two years, and thus, a little reluctant to call myself an “expert.” However, I believe that being an expert in something does not necessarily mean that you are the best, but rather, you have a passion for something and want to dedicate time and energy to becoming the best at it you can be. While I might not ever be a contender on “Top Chef,” I do have a passion and interest in being the best cook I can be.
I first became interested in cooking through spending time at my close friend’s house. Her mom, Lois, is always in the kitchen trying out new recipes and making meals for her family. One day when I was over their house, she made the best dinner I have ever had in my life. She made homemade pesto with fettuccini pasta and grilled chicken that was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Because I enjoyed this meal so much, Lois agreed to teach me how to make it. I thought that it was going to be very difficult for me to do since I never have cooked anything from scratch before, but I was surprised to learn that it was fairly easy and tasted amazing.
After making my first real homemade meal under the guidance of Lois, I decided to try it on my own. I found simple recipes online and started experimenting with them. I started out making appetizers that didn’t require a lot of ingredients, like bruschetta, guacamole, hummus, and salsa. After I made these a few times, I started to tweak them a little bit and learned how to do this successfully. For example, I learned that I do not like as many tomatoes in my guacamole as most recipes call for, and that adding garlic and roasted red peppers to plain hummus recipes makes it a lot more flavorful. Next, I started to learn how to cook chicken and fish a few different ways, which was also surprisingly easy to master. I then started to make side dishes like black bean salad, Moroccan couscous, and mashed potatoes. As I practiced cooking different dishes, it became easier and very enjoyable.
Learning to cook is something that I have learned how to do through the process of trial and error. I have made a lot of mistakes while learning to cook, but like anything else, practice makes perfect. I have never taken a cooking class and besides Lois, no one has ever taught me how to cook. I have found recipe websites that have reviews to be extremely helpful and offer great suggestions. Input from friends and family that has tried my food is always useful as well.
Cooking is something that I enjoy very much, and plan on developing an expertise in throughout the rest of my life. I believe that if you are passionate about something, learning how to do it is fun and very rewarding. I am glad that I have recently discovered that I am capable of cooking different things, because it is therapeutic for me. Though I have no awards or honors to show for my ability to cook, I still consider myself to have an expertise in cooking.